USDA sticks head firmly in the sand.
Meat from a Holstein sick with mad cow disease has now reached retail markets in eight states and one territory, but still poses no health risk, Agriculture Department officials said Sunday.
Um, if the meat is safe, why are they recalling it in eight states (so far)?
Dr. Ron DeHaven, chief veterinarian for USDA, said on Sunday that science has shown certain meat cuts are fairly safe from infection. Among those are whole cuts without bones, such as beef steaks, roast, liver, and ground beef from labeled cuts like chuck or round.
“Fairly safe”? Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is 100% fatal, and USDA says everything is ducky because the meat is “fairly safe” to eat? Is USDA protecting the consumer or simply being a mouthpiece for the cattle industry?
DeHaven said this suggests the trade restrictions “are not well-founded in science.”
Ah, I get it. If possibly infected meat is “fairly safe” then the heck with those silly trade restrictions; other countries ought simply do the right thing and import the meat anyway!
Hmm, I recall the US banned import of Brit beef while they had the Mad Cow infections. But I guess the rules are different for us.
PS Deep Audit opines:
They’ve got a cow evidencing “Mad Cow” disease… it can’t stand, move, or eat. And what do they do? Butcher it, send the spinal cord etcetera for testing and the meat to market.
Ought to call it “Mad Human” disease.